Personal finance news

Cost of credit card spending soars

Published 21 November 2008

spending21lou The cost of credit card borrowing has increased “significantly” during the past three months with more than 10 per cent of providers hiking their rates.

Black October for buyers with a tracker mortgage

Published 21 November 2008

Tracker mortgage rates for new borrowers soared to a seven-and-a-half-year high during October despite interest rates falling during the month.

Take home pay blow for retailers

Published 14 November 2008

The rate at which workers’ take home pay is increasing fell sharply during October signalling tough times ahead for retailers.

Clean up banking, Government told

Published 31 October 2008

The Government should force banks to reform their operations to put consumers at the heart of the industry, a consumer group has said.

Hold your breath... the homes market is creeping upwards

Published 31 October 2008

The housing market is showing early signs of improving with sales rising and first-time buyers resuming their search for a home, estate agents have claimed.

Mortgage defaulters ‘are queuing for advice’

Published 17 October 2008

The number of people seeking help after falling behind with their mortgage has soared by more than 50 per cent during the past year.

The older pensioners grow, the harder inflation bites

Published 17 October 2008

Pensioners suffer more from soaring inflation than their working counterparts, research has found. A study by the Institute for Fiscal Studies found the average pensioner experienced a 7.4 per cent rise in the cost of living during 2008, while non-pensioner’s outgoings increased by 5.4 per cent

Government ‘must act on fuel poverty’

Published 10 October 2008

A national charity is taking the Government to court over claims that it has failed to meet legal obligations to cut fuel poverty.

Credit the bank of mum and dad with half of all degrees

Published 10 October 2008

More than half the UK’s students are being helped through university by their families, a survey has found.

You’ve never had it so cheap. House prices hit a new low

Published 3 October 2008

Homes are selling for a record discount as house prices continue to tumble, figures have shown. The average seller in England and Wales got just 90 per cent of their asking price during September, the lowest level since property intelligence group Hometrack first launched its index in 2001.

Pensioners worse off in North West

Published 3 October 2008

More than half of older people in the North West are cutting back on essentials such as heating and food in order to cope with the rising cost of living, a report has revealed.

First time unlucky on the homes front

Published 26 September 2008

First-time buyers think they need to save nearly £20,000 in order to get on to the property ladder.

For a happy retirement, don’t go banking on equity release

Published 26 September 2008

Equity release schemes, which allow homeowners to sell their homes but still live in them, should only be a last resort, a consumer group has warned.

House auction prices plummet

Published 19 September 2008

The average price of a home sold at auction has dived by more than 23 per cent during the past year.

Young buyers are priced out of our hamlets and villages

Published 19 September 2008

Homes in rural areas like much of Cumbria cost 15 per cent more than properties in urban areas, pricing many first-time buyers out of the market, figures have shown.

Latest energy price hikes are ‘calamitous’, says watchdog

Published 5 September 2008

An independent gas and electricity watchdog has called recent price rises “calamitous” as energy bills continue to escalate.

‘Time to reform HIPs in a troubled market’

Published 5 September 2008

Estate agents called on the Government to urgently review its controversial Home Information Packs (HIPs) in a bid to help the troubled property market.